Barbara Craythorn

Scammers are constantly thinking up new ways to part you with your hard earned cash, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has warned.

Action Fraud is highlighting the latest scams based on reports from the public assessed and analysed by the NFIB.

Fake tickets appearing for sale on social media websites

Fake tickets are still being sold by fraudsters on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Victims have reported purchasing non-existent tickets for events (concert, sports etc) or counterfeits.

Fraudsters also actively look for people who take pictures of their tickets before they actually attend an event and post them on social media. Fraudsters then use these pictures to make counterfeits, copying the ticket barcode from the image and making dozens of counterfeit copies to sell to other victims. If you buy one of these tickets you will be refused entry to the show.

Fraudsters using a variety of methods including phone calls, text messages and emails are claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Victims are tricked them into paying bogus debts and taxes using iTunes gift cards. Herefordshire police have recently said nearly £22,000 worth of iTunes vouchers were bought over three separate transactions by a 70 year old woman.

Fraudsters ask for payment in iTunes gift card voucher codes because they can be easily redeemed and sold on by the victim passing on details of the serial code on the back of the card.

Rental fraud continues to claim victims

People looking for rental accommodation online are continuing to be targeted by fraudsters. Victims have reported paying deposits to secure a property that either does not exist or is already occupied.

A new method has also been detected, where, after victims have found accommodation through a well known website, the scammers then request payment through a different domain, for example Home Away or Trip Advisor. Spoofed or false emails are sent to the victim requesting payment. Action Fraud advise against sending money to anyone advertising rental properties online until they are certain the advertiser is genuine.

Businesses fall victim to extortion DDoS attacks

In the last few weeks UK businesses across a number of sectors have experienced extortion Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks from a group called DD4BC.

The email received demands that the victim company pay an extortion fee in order to prevent a further bigger attack. Action Fraud offers advice on protecting your business: Action Fraud - Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use the online fraud reporting tool at Action Fraud